NC State has gone through a range of emotions in just three games, with Saturday about desperation.
NC State outscored Louisiana Tech 24-3 in the second half to pull out a 30-20 win in front of 56,919 fans at Carter-Finley Stadium. For the first 30 minutes of the game, the stadium was full of angst.
With the Bulldogs leading 7-6, NCSU freshman quarterback Cedrick Bailey entered the game with 2:41 left in the second quarter after senior quarterback Grayson McCall suffered a game-ending injury.
NC State coach Dave Doeren looked at it that in 12 quarters of football this season, the Wolfpack have played “complementary football” in four of them to go 2-1.
“It was a great response in the second,” Doeren said. “The players rallied around each other in the locker room.
“C.J. [Bailey] played very poised and I was proud of him. The other guys played for him. It’s a [heck] of a win.”
Louisiana Tech (1-1) surged to a 17-6 halftime lead thanks to an incredible effort from fifth-year senior wide receiver Tru Edwards, who broke multiple tackles en route to a 71-yard touchdown with 1:19 left in the second quarter. Then Bailey threw an interception to set up an impressive 57-yard field goal from junior kicker Buck Buchanan.
NCSU entered halftime frustrated and injured. The Wolfpack had lost senior cornerback Aydan White prior to the game, and then sophomore cornerback Brandon Cisse during the first half. It became a true “next man up” situation, and NC State also needed its leaders to emerge.
Enter Davin Vann, outside linebacker Sean Brown and Bailey.
Vann tilted momentum in NC State’s favor when his inside stunt led to Louisiana Tech junior Jack Turner to throw the ball up in the air, which senior safety Donovan Kaufman picked off and returned 33 yards for a touchdown. Vann also caused a forced fumble.
Kaufman said as a defensive back, you have to have a real short memory and he knew had to forget the first-half issues.
“I just had to execute,” said Kaufman, whose nickname is DK. “It was really simple stuff. We was beating ourselves.
“It was right place, right time. D-Vann made a great play hitting the QB. Then [defensive end] Travali [Price] made a great block. I was just doing what I had to do, just filling in.”
Bailey did a good job of settling into the game, taking what the defense gave him and he showed he can take off with his legs if needed. Bailey finished throwing 13-of-20 for 156 yards and one interception, and he rushed four times for 27 yards and a touchdown.
"He has done that in practice the whole time," Doeren said. "He has good arm talent. Now, it is just repetitions and how fast the defense is playing. He has good players around him. He'll be a fun player to watch and has a bright future for us."
Bailey said he knew he had to let go of the negative energy after the interception.
“When my name was called, I just stepped in and made plays for my team,” said Bailey, whose nickname is C.J. “I had to step and be that guy for the team. The main thing was to stay level-headed and instead of just getting up and down.”
McCall exited the game going 9-of-13 passing for 54 yards, and he ran four times for 22 yards. He was on the sideline cheering Bailey on, who entered the game admitting he had “jitters.”
“I had to play for Grayson and the team,” said Bailey, who said the key was having the players having each other’s back. “I’ve learned a lot from Grayson. It’s your time to do it now. When you are doing it, you got to think about everything that [quarterbacks] Coach [Kurt] Roper taught me, Coach Doeren, Grayson.”
Bailey was a Rivals.com four-star prospect in the class of 2024 coming out of prep powerhouse Hollywood (Fla.) Chaminade-Madonna High. His ability to stay poised, look over the defense at 6-foot-6 and be ready for the moment helped save the outcome for the Wolfpack.
“It [Chaminade-Madonna] really prepared me a lot for like these moments right here,” Bailey said. “Like the fans is way different, especially Tennessee game and this game. Everybody is up, you know, like everybody is loud and a lot of people in the stands.”
Doeren and redshirt junior linebacker Caden Fordham both credited Brown, who finished with seven tackles, for being an emotional leader at halftime.
“We just came out with more energy,” Fordham said. “I would say the second half, you know, Sean Brown in the locker room rallied the boys together, and we came out with a different energy. Davin Vann made that first play that sparked us.”
Junior cornerback Devon Marshall, a Villanova transfer, and redshirt sophomore Jackson Vick logged significant time in the secondary due to the injuries. NCSU often played five- or- six defensive backs against the Bulldogs Air Raid offense.
Turner, who got knocked out of Louisiana Tech’s season opening win over Nicholls on Aug. 31, went 19-of-36 passing for 281 yards, one touchdown and one interception in the loss. He found senior wide receiver Tru Edwards four times for 148 yards and the aforementioned 71-yard score.
NC State plays at Clemson next week at 12 p.m. Saturday on ABC, the second nationally televised game of the season. The Tigers had a bye week and are 1-1 with a win over Appalachian State and loss to Georgia.
Doeren said White was day-to-day, and that he’ll know more for Monday’s press conference on McCall and Cisse.
“We’re really proud of the way that Devon Marshall came in and Jackson Vick came in the game, Corey Coley,” Doeren said. “Aydan will be back — day-to-day.”
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